Police talk man down from overpass

A 26-year-old Rochester Hills, Mich., resident was hospitalized Sunday after threatening to jump off the Levering Road overpass onto I-75.

Kortny Hahn Staff Writer, @khahnCDT @khahnCDT

A 26-year-old Rochester Hills, Mich., resident was hospitalized Sunday after threatening to jump off the Levering Road overpass onto I-75.Troopers from Cheboygan detachment of the Michigan State Police Gaylord Post were dispatched along with numerous other law enforcement agencies Sunday afternoon for a report of a man standing on the outside of the cement barrier of the bridge. The man had parked his vehicle on Levering Road and stood on the overpass on the northbound lanes threatening to jump off onto the freeway. "The subject was armed with a knife and had cut his arms and neck, and wouldn't let officers approach him," said Sgt. Mark Tamlyn. "During the standoff northbound traffic was diverted to the exit ramp and then back onto the freeway. We used three semis and parked them alongside each other to shorten the distance if the subject decided to jump." Eventually a Michigan State Police negotiator was called to the scene. "After approximately three hours the subject became mentally exhausted and dropped the knife, and officers were able to grab hold of the subject and pull him back over onto the overpass," Tamlyn continued. "The subject was transported to McLaren Northern Michigan for medical treatment and a mental evaluation." Troopers credited the efforts of the Cheboygan County Sheriff's Department, Michigan State Police from the St. Ignace Post, the Department of Natural Resources, Mackinaw City Police Department, Cheboygan Life Support and Inverness Fire Department for working together to achieve a successful ending to the situation.